Canterbury Hosts Virtual Our Lady’s Pilgrimage Reunion for Canterbury Alumni

On Sunday, September 13th Canterbury hosted a virtual reunion for alumni who had participated in the Our Lady’s Pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. In what would have been the trip’s 27th year, close to 30 alumni connected over Zoom to reminisce and reflect on their experience on the pilgrimage over the years. 

The evening was hosted by Eli Taylor ’19, with Jess Garcia ’19, James Farrell ’02, Kayla Jendras ’20, and Erin Sudbey ’20 facilitating a reflection during the event. Former faculty members Guy and Viv Simonelli and Marc Vanasse; Spanish Teacher and Director of Travel Julio Omaña; Director of the Center for Spirituality, Service, and Justice Tracy Garcia-LaVigne; and Director of Health Services Colleen Cook ’02, who have all participated in the pilgrimage, moderated the reunion. Each of the hosts shared their experience on Our Lady’s Pilgrimage and examined the phrase “Lourdes is the world turned upside down” and what it means to them, especially during COVID-19. Alumni were then asked to reflect on their own experience in Lourdes and how it has impacted their lives today. The reunion concluded with Jess ’19 singing “Prayer of St. Francis” for the group.

Our Lady’s Pilgrimage was first offered at Canterbury in 1994, and has become a staple feature of the School’s immersive travel opportunities. If you would like more opportunities to pray with Canterbury and Our Lady’s Pilgrimage, the group holds “Pilgrim and Prayer” sessions monthly via Zoom and OLP remote service projects during COVID. The next Pilgrim and Prayer will be held on Sunday, Sept 27 at 8:00pm.

More information can be found here.